2013 in Review: Girls Elite Midseason Recap

December 31, 201312:46 PM PST

Samit Bariana

Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Girls Elite team have had a tremendous first-half to the Metro Women's Soccer League (MWSL) regular season, as they currently occupy first place in the standings entering a much deserved winter break.

The Girls Elite squad sit atop the Premier Division with an unblemished 10W-0L-0D record, while outscoring the opposition by a 48-6 margin.

Amazingly, the girls did not concede a goal until the fifth match of the 17-game regular season.

“The MWSL Premier Division has been a great platform for the program. The players have performed as a group very well individually and as a team,” head coach Jesse Symons told whitecapsfc.com. “We look forward to maintaining strong performances through the remaining league matches and league cup.”

The Blue and White took a break from MWSL action to enter the 2013 soccerloco Surf College Cup in November.

“The surf cup was a fantastic event to put the players in front of many NCAA coaches for possible recruitment,” Symons told whitecapsfc.com. “It was a promising event in which we also invited players from the BCSPL the opportunity to participate as well.”

And for the girls in the group who will graduate this coming year, post-secondary education has now been finalized.

“It is great to have all of our Girls Elite players now confirmed to universities for the fall of 2014," states Symons. "The players are going to some tremendous schools in the NCAA and CIS. We look forward to the announcement during NCAA signing week.”

Three members of the Girls Elite squad have even received national recognition during the season.

Defenders Rachel Jones and Simmrin Dhaliwal, and midfielder Jenna Baxter were named to Canada’s final roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in Jamaica. Canada defeated host Jamaica 5-0 to advance to the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica from March 15 to April 5 next year.